(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning parts in a manufacturing line in general, and in particular, to an apparatus for cleaning parts in a semiconductor manufacturing line and, a method of cleaning using the same apparatus.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Cleaning parts in a wafer FAB is usually performed by holding the part of interest in one hand, while applying the cleaning means onto the part with the other hand. A case in point is the cleaning of parts, such as a DPS (Decoupled Plasma System) upper chambers, quartz, or ceramics, by bead, sand-blasting, or CO2 blasting. It has been the experience in the present manufacturing line that more frequently than not, the cleaning of the part while physically holding it in the hand can be quite tiresome, and at times, dangerous. Furthermore, because of fatigue, the part needing longer cleaning can be deprived of the needed time. Also, the parts may need to be held in certain positions for most effective cleaning, and yet, because of the awkwardness of manipulating the hand into those positions the parts may not get the proper cleaning, resulting in faults and other damages. There is, therefore, a need for a part holding apparatus that can hold the part in the desired positions, and at the same time relieve the band of fatigue that would otherwise result by holding it. It is disclosed later in the embodiments of the present invention a tiltable platform table which is cost effective both in reducing turn-around time for parts in the production line, and also ergonomically suited for cleaning parts in a manufacturing line, in general, and in a semiconductor manufacturing line, in particular.
In the prior art, devices such as grips, vices, jigs and others have been designed to hold parts while performing work on them. For example, an apparatus is described by Stetz in U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,716 for supporting and aligning tube sections to be welded together. Here, an elongated supporting, table is provided with a pair of inwardly grooved tracks and various secondary support members are also provided to mate with the tracks and to hold several pipe or tube arrangements utilizing conventional T-fittings, elbow fittings, nozzle fittings, etc. The apparatus permits, among other things, proper alignment and stability during welding.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,317, an exothermic welding jig is described by Singer, et al., where the jig has a handle which may be used as a cane or supporting device in manipulating mold parts. Upper and lower mold parts are included with a crucible fitted on and clamped to the upper mold part. The upper mold part and crucible may be moved as a unit to open and close the mold and also inverted when open for cleaning and inspection. The crucible can quickly be removed or snapped in place, for mold or crucible change-out. A toggle opens and closes the mold set and will hold the molds in any position where released.
A different tube welding jig is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,455 by Diede. The jig comprises a weld head support mounted on a support surface and one or more tube support pedestals having a top groove for supporting a tube alignment with the weld head. The pedestals may be threaded to provide a height adjustment of the pedestals.
The jigs of the prior art, however, are not suitable for cleaning parts in a semiconductor manufacturing line. A different platform table with added advantages is disclosed below.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for cleaning parts in a manufacturing line.
It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for relieving fatigue while cleaning parts in a manufacturing line.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for reducing turn-around time in cleaning parts in a manufacturing line.
It is an overall object of this invention to provide a tiltable platform for securing semiconductor parts while cleaning them at an optimum orientation, and also a method of using the same platform.
These objects are accomplished by providing a base; a plurality of legs affixed onto said base; a tiltable platform disposed over said plurality of legs; said tiltable platform comprising a frame having four edges and four corners; said tiltable platform pivotably disposed on a pivot on a pivot leg of one of said plurality of legs, and on the remaining plurality of legs; said tiltable platform further having two railings spanning opposite said corners and forming a cross at the center of said frame; and clamps that are disposed slidably over said railings.
These objects are further accomplished by providing a parts cleaning platform table comprising a base adjustably connected to a tiltable platform having railings with clamps; raising said base to an ergonomically comfortable position; tilting said tiltable platform to an ergonomically comfortable angle; placing a part onto said railing with clamps; clamping said part onto said railing with said clamps; and cleaning the part.